Lithuania blocks livestock product, feed from Belarus over African swine fever
VILNIUS. June 26 (Interfax/BNS) - Lithuania has blocked the import of some kinds of livestock and feed product from Belarus because African swine fever (ASF) has been detected there, the head of Lithuania's State Food and Veterinary Service, Jonas Milius, has told the Baltic News Service.
ASF was found in the Grodno region of Belarus. The region has been closed for the sale of pork and pork products.
"We discussed many measures, especially those related to customs, in order not to import any food products, particularly salamis and animal products, so that all passengers are subjected to a check, including rail passengers and those travelling by car. So that no feed passes," Milius told journalists following a meeting with Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius. "Of course I'm not talking about animals: they are banned from entering," he said.
Official notification the ASF had been detected in Lithuania was made on Wednesday. An action plan is currently being agreed with the European Commission and neighbors Latvia and Poland.
Non-state Belarusian media are reporting that in a number of other regions, particularly the Stolbsy district in Minsk Region, households are slaughtering their hogs and disinfecting pig-sheds.
Russia's Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Oversight Service (Rosselkhoznadzor) banned the import of pork from Grodno Region on June 21. The Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry department for veterinary and food oversight has confirmed the outbreak of ASF in the Ivye district of the Grodno region.
Ukraine imposed a ban on hogs, pork, and pork products from Belarus on June 22.